By Gladys Barreta
The stats are out and Rockbank local Evette Quoibia is the official Guinness World Record holder for the longest continuous time an individual has cooked.
It was no easy feat, as the previous world record holder for the Longest Cooking Marathon had cooked for over 119 hours in the kitchen. Ms. Quoibia has now taken the reins with a remarkable 150 hours—cooking for a total of six days.
Ms. Quoibia, a self-taught chef, runs the catering service Jollof Vibe in Kensington, serving West African cuisine.
The public, along with the entire city of Melbourne, was fed during the marathon that was held on February 19, 2024 with Ms. Quoibia preparing mainly West African food, Liberian dishes, international-friendly meals, Nigerian cuisine and some Aussie classics.
The competition was global, with contestants joining from as far away as Canada and Ghana.
“It was a super crazy experience. I was worried about standing for 24 hours and cooking for that long, with pain in my legs and arms,” Ms. Quoibia said.
“I felt there was a miracle that carried me through the experience. I was hallucinating at some points because I was so tired, but the interesting thing was, my cooking brain was still active and all the food still tasted amazing.”
The cooking marathon required Ms. Quoibia to have something on the stove at every moment, preparing food to be served up constantly. Every four hours, contestants were allowed a 20-minute break to nap, use the restroom, or alternatively a 5-minute break every hour.
Dishes of up to 7 kgs were served with people lining up for up to 24 hours outside Otao Kitchen in Abbotsford where Ms Quoibia completed the competition.
“I love how there were so many people together and everybody was having fun and enjoying the food, which made the whole experience worth it for me,” Ms Quoibia said.
“If I didn’t get the record, that would have been enough for me.”
Ms. Quoibia said doing the marathon was her way of giving a voice to her community and achieving something significant in her life.
“I’ve always wanted to do something out of the ordinary that gave me an opportunity to have a voice,” she said.
“In society, if you haven’t done anything big or great, people don’t listen so I’ve always felt like I wanted to do something impactful.
“I was born during a war having come from Liberia and didn’t have the opportunity to get a proper education. I realised I was made for something more, so this was my opportunity to inspire.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to go back home one day and make a change, and I want to have a voice.”
